POEMS: 4/5
SUBJECT: 4/5
RHYTHM & RELATABILITY: 4/5
THEMES: Love, Loss, Matters of the Heart and Soul
“They called me rain,
And then they called me summer,
But now,
For you,
I am the flower
That breathes your name”
– Jasmine Miro, Where Written Words Remain
After a long time, I have finally returned to the enchanting world of poetry. Though I started reading this collection months ago, I soon drifted away, unable to appreciate the subtle depths of its words. This recent tryst of reading Jasmine Miro’s Where Written Words Remain feels like coming home to a beloved genre.
After all these months, my palate has been cleansed, and my enthusiasm for lyrical expression is refreshed. Once again, I find myself savouring the beauty of verse and exploring the uncharted depths of a poetess’s mind.
Where Written Words Remain is a delicate beauty, both inside and out. The dainty cover, adorned with a damsel whose luscious hair cascade like a river down a gentle slope, mirrors the depth and grace of the words within. The poetry mesmerizes the reader, drawing her into the lyrical charm of the poetess’s emotional musings.
At the very beginning, the poetess shares the reason she writes—to give her emotions an outlet. She pours onto paper the raw feelings she experiences but cannot bring herself to express them. She tells us that only when she gives voice to her deepest fears, reveals her most intimate secrets, and lays bare the full depth of her emotions—moulding them into words—does she find peace. In those words, she discovers both her home and her soul.
My review
I love how deep and expressive the poems in this collection are. Some reflect the profound desire to express through words, allowing them to shine even brighter than the writer. Others explore love, loss, pain, and the journey of healing.
One poem that stands out in this regard is Blue. It plays cleverly with the word “blue,” portraying it as both the beauty of a lover’s embrace and the melancholy of being away from one’s beloved.
Miro’s poetry holds a unique charm in her ability to weave the simplest words into something both meaningful and magical—creating verses so enchanting that they leave you utterly charmed and impressed.
In another poem, Miro speaks about how she wishes to freeze time, but then she also needs time as her beloved, for without her beloved, all the extra time she would have would hold no value.
Most of the poems speak of love—the most beautiful, purest, and most profound of all emotions. They reflect a feeling of being deeply in love, so much so that you breathe in the scent of your beloved with every waking moment. This is the purest of all joys, encompassing love in all its forms—physical, emotional, and existential.
Some other poems talk about the pain of separation, about the exasperating feeling of being away from one’s love.
‘Route to My Soul’ turns out to be yet another favourite. It reflects the pain of those who have much to say, many scars to show, countless pains to bury, and endless tears to shed—yet they do so in their own exclusive space, keeping their deepest, darkest emotions hidden from everyone, including their beloved. They do so because they believe that some words can never be spoken, only fathomed.
Many poems are directly addressed to the beloved, inviting him to dive into the rich inner world of the poetess’s heart, feelings, emotions, and expressions. In these pieces, the direct object and the intended reader of these wordy confessions is the beloved himself.
For example, ‘Fragments‘ speaks of conveying through words what cannot be spoken. It explores the idea of hiding one’s beloved within poetry—telling them how they made you feel, how they made you bleed, and, in the end, confessing that they were your favourite subject all along.
In a few poems, the poetess masterfully uses her own name—Jasmine—not just as a reference to the flower but also as a metaphor for herself. This is an excellent use of wordplay—fresh, distinct, and highly creative.
In others, she reflects on the agony of love turning into pain. She speaks of silent prayers, bitter tears, broken wings, and deep despondency. She laments how the words “I love you” are thrown around too casually, how people often take love for granted when it should be considered sacred—especially when paired with a promise.
All in all, Where Written Words Remain is an ode to the heart and soul. It is a panacea for those who have loved and lost. If truly heartfelt love poetry is your thing, this is one book you definitely shouldn’t miss.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Where Written Words Remain.
